


The Last Enemy

by DAForever62442



Category: Glee
Genre: Character Death, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Episode: s05e03 The Quarterback, Gen, Song Lyrics, This is really sad, carole coping with finn's death, finn's funeral, new directions coping with finn's death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:07:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27763468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DAForever62442/pseuds/DAForever62442
Summary: What do you do, how do you feel, when someone you thought would always be there is suddenly taken from your life? Tina, Rachel, and Carole reflect on Finn’s life and legacy. Rest in peace Cory Monteith. (Repost from 2015)
Relationships: Carole Hudson-Hummel & Finn Hudson & Burt Hummel & Kurt Hummel, Rachel Berry/Finn Hudson
Kudos: 2





	1. Tina: We Regret to Inform You...

**Author's Note:**

> This is a report from 2015. Recently I've been moving my better fics from ff.net to AO3, and this one was one of my favorites. All the author's notes are the originals from 2015 and I didn't edit this, so take it as you will. 
> 
> Original Author’s Note: I started this way back in September 2013 before “The Quarterback” aired because I wanted to say goodbye and I wanted to write something to celebrate Finn’s life and character. It took a long time, but here it is.
> 
> I was shocked and saddened when I heard the news that Cory Monteith had died, and I didn’t want to write a fic at first. Writing a fic felt like I was just getting into the hype, for lack of a better word, the wave of Finn tributes in the aftermath of Cory Monteith’s death. It felt insensitive of me to be writing fanfiction about someone’s death. It wasn’t that I was writing about a fictional character dying, I’d done that before, but that the actor portraying that character had died. I got most of my closure with “The Quarterback” and by reading a really incredible fanfic by Katjandante called We’ve Got Tonight, but by then I had this idea and I couldn’t get it out of my head. I wrote and wrote, but found I could never get it right; I could never get the message and the emotions across properly. I could never find a way to describe who Finn was and how he impacted New Directions, Glee, and the people who watch the show. So I went with three chapters, each in the POV of someone who knew and loved Finn, in the hope that I would say a proper goodbye. 
> 
> I know I’m not the first person to write something like this, but I hope you like it none the less. I just hope I did it justice. 
> 
> Canon through “Love, Love, Love.” Set in the time jump between that episode and “The Quarterback.”

_“We call that person who has lost his father an orphan; and a widower a man who has lost his wife, but that man who has known the immense unhappiness of losing a friend, by what name do we call him? Here every language is silent and holds its peace in impotence.”_ _-Joseph Roux_

The announcement comes in the middle of second period, sudden and completely unexpected.

_“All glee club members please report to the choir room.”_

I look at Blaine, who is sitting across from me. It’s clear we’re thinking the same thing: _What’s going on?_

I exit the classroom and walk down the halls with Blaine to the choir room in silence, both our minds racing with possibilities. What could possibly have happened that wouldn’t warrant a full school meeting?

Everyone is already there, with the exception of Mr. Schue. On every face is an expression of confusion. I look around and everyone seems to be wondering the same thing: _What’s going on?_ We talk to each other for a while, contemplating possible reasons for being sent out of our classes.

“Maybe something’s happened to Mr. Schue,” Unique suggests.

“No, then they could just tell the whole school. It’s gotta be something else,”Sam responds, fidgeting in his chair.

“You don’t think something horrible’s happened, do you?” Marley asks, worried.

“ _Something_ bad must’ve happened for them to call us out of class like that,” Kitty replies seriously.

An eternity later, Mr. Schue enters. His expression is unreadable, save for the grief in his eyes.

“I have some really bad news I need to tell you. Before I tell you, I want you to know that Ms. Pillsbury and I are here if you need to talk. We’re all here for each other.” Mr. Schue takes a deep breath and closes his eyes for a second before reopening them. “Finn passed away last night. Nobody else knows yet, so please don’t pass the news around the school.”

In an instant my world comes crashing down. This is not what I expected to hear. I was expecting Mr. Schue to tell us something had happened to Ms. Pillsbury or Kurt or Rachel. Or that Principal Sylvester had succeeded in her never-ending quest to end the glee club once and for all. Not this _._ Never something like this. My head feels like it’s stuffed with cotton, my vision becomes blurry with unshed tears. The rest of the school, the rest of the _world_ , ceases to exist. It’s just us and the choir room and the shock. My mind goes blank, refusing to accept the news. _Finn can’t be dead, he just_ can’t _. He can’t have_ died _, he’s too young..._

Without my permission the tears begin streaming from my eyes as my brain starts to process the news. I bury my face in Blaine’s shoulder, needing to block everything out and have some form of solid support. Blaine wraps his arms around me, supporting and comforting me even as tears stream down his face. Soon everyone is crying and leaning on each other’s shoulders, the mood in the room turning somber, shocked, and disbelieving.

I was never super close to Finn, but I was proud to call him my friend, a part of my family.

He was the leader, he held us together. Despite quitting, despite choosing football, he came back. He brought us together with “Don’t Stop Believing” and he made us believe in ourselves. He changed from top-of-the-school quarterback who wouldn’t acknowledge us to someone who was willing to stand up for us. He never threw anyone in a dumpster or threw a single slushy once he joined New Directions. He held us together when we lost at Regionals three years ago and thought it was the end of glee. He supported and encouraged us this year when we thought we would be lost without those who graduated. He never let us down, and he was always there when we needed him. He was there for us and we were there for him.

Finn’s been here from the beginning and he came back this year when the others left. To know I’ll never see him again...it hurts more than I ever imagined anything could hurt. It’s a dull ache in my heart, a constant reminder that Finn will never again stumble though a dance routine, walk down the halls of McKinley High, or sit in the red plastic chairs in the choir room we have come to call home. Finn Hudson will never again sing with New Directions, though he will always be a part of our group of misfits-turned-family.

How are we meant to go on without him? How are we meant to continue without our quarterback, our glue, our _friend_? How can we keep moving when one of our own has died before his time?

Nobody sings in glee club today. It feels wrong, somehow, to sing without Finn. It feels like an important part of us is missing and we don’t know how to go on without that part. Instead we simply sit and remember Finn Hudson--his dancing, his smile, the songs he sang and the songs we sang with him, the times he held us together and the times we held him together.


	2. Rachel: Till Death Do Us Part

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original Author’s Note: I honestly don’t know what to say here.

_“We understand death for the first time when he puts  
_ _his hand upon one whom we love.”  
_ _-Madame de Stael_

I walk into the apartment Kurt, Santana, and I share, putting my bag down and turning to see Kurt looking straight at me. His eyes are red and puffy and his face is streaked with tear tracks. He’s the only one here--Santana won’t be back for a while.

“What happened? Are you okay?” I immediately ask, concerned.

“Rachel...” Kurt takes a deep breath. “My dad called...” Another deep breath, this one slightly shaky. “Finn passed away last night.”

For a second I don’t believe him. For a second I expect him to laugh and say it was a joke. A _horrible_ joke, but better than it being the _truth_. But I know Kurt would _never_ joke about something like this. As soon as the realization hits me, the world seems to stop and everything moves in slow motion. My brain refuses to process the news, refuses to accept that it’s real. I feel my body go numb with shock and disbelief. It’s just me and the shock and Kurt standing next to me.

“No. No, he can’t have.” Tears fill my eyes, and I feel myself fall to the ground, sobbing hysterically. “He _can’t_ be gone. _No_.” I know, deep down, that it’s true. Finn’s gone, and he’s never coming back. All I have left is his voice in my head and his memory in my heart.

Kurt comes closer and wraps me in his arms, leading me to the couch. Once we’re seated he wraps his arm around my shoulders and lets me cry into his shirt, for once oblivious to the potential stains. 

“My dad didn’t give me details, but...it was sudden. No warning...” His sentence is drowned in a sob, tears once more streaming down his face.

We sit there for what feels like hours, sobbing into each other’s shoulders. Disbelief courses through me. I just can’t believe he’s _gone_. That I’m never going to see him again. It feels like my world has come crashing down around me; everything is suddenly crumbing, falling apart, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it. Everything is spinning out of control, hurtling toward some great unknown.

Finally I sit up, wiping my eyes dry of tears. “Do the others know?” I ask Kurt, my voice stuffy.

“No...n-not that I know of. I n-need to call Blaine.”

Kurt hurries into the kitchen. As soon as he leaves, I pick up my phone and call my dads. I give them the news in a shaky voice.

“F-Finn passed away last night.” As soon as I say the words, I know without a doubt that they are true. Now that I have spoken them out loud they are irreversible, irretrievable. Permanent.

All my dads can do is offer comfort. They can’t bring him back, nobody can.

I used to believe my dads could do anything.

Now I know that’s not true.

_He promised me forever._

Even when we broke up last year, I knew we’d get back together one day. We were _meant_ to be together. We were meant to get married and live happily ever after. Not this. Never this. Never dying before we really had a chance to live.

I don’t want to believe he’s gone. I want to believe that he’s in Lima, running the glee club with Mr. Schue and that we were going to see each other over the summer. That he’s just a phone call or a text or even a plane ride away.

I don’t say much--I _can’t_ \--but my dads understand. They comfort me as best they can, but it does nothing to ease the pain in my heart. They tell me they’ve booked a flight back to Lima for me, Kurt, and Santana. At least I’ll get to see my dads and everyone back in Lima. I want to go back to Lima, but everything there just reminds me of Finn. I won’t be able to go back to McKinley or his house or even my own house without thinking about him.

I hang up a few minutes later, just as Kurt walks back into the room. He sits on the couch beside me, not speaking.

The sound of the door opening breaks the silence and Santana walks in, tears covering her face. She’s heard.

The three of us sit together on the couch in silence for hours, trying to process the news. The tears rush down my face, all our faces, until I’m sure we have none left to cry. But they keep coming, fast and furious and silent.

That night, Kurt, Santana, and I book our flight back to Lima.

I can’t believe I’m going back for this. I keep thinking he’ll be there, waiting like always. Eager to see me and I him. Then I remember that he’s gone and I can’t stop the tears, not now, not when the news is so fresh and new and _real_. I can only clutch Kurt’s hand on my left and Santana’s on my right,hoping beyond hope that Finn will be waiting for us when we land. As the plane approaches the Columbus airport, the words to one of our songs go through my head.

_I know you haven’t made your mind up yet  
_ _But I would never do you wrong  
_ _I’ve known it from the moment that we met  
_ _No doubt in my mind where you belong_


	3. Carole: Saying Goodbye

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original Author’s Note: I recommend tissues and a cuddly stuffed animal. I had to make this chapter perfect. For Finn, for Cory, and for me. 
> 
> Note that “New Directions” includes Rory, Matt, Lauren, Joe, Sugar, and the alumni. I was too lazy to type out “Rory, Lauren, Joe, Matt, Sugar, alumni, and New Directions” every time. I don’t care that Matt transferred and Rory went back to Ireland, and I don’t even know what happened to Lauren, Sugar, and Joe to be honest. Just pretend Rory was in America for some reason, I don’t know. The others just kept in touch once they left. Hey, if Ryan Murphy can mess with continuity, so can I.

_“The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.”  
_ _-J.K. Rowling,_ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I never thought I’d be attending my son’s funeral.

This isn’t how it’s supposed to work. Finn should be attending my funeral, many years from now, not the other way around. He should be going out into the world and living his dream. He should be on his way to a happily ever after. He hardly got to grow up. He never got to get married and have a family. He’ll never get to be a father or a grandfather or an uncle or a husband. He hardly got to be a brother.

How do mothers _do_ this? How do they wake up every morning, knowing they will never see their child again? How do they survive, knowing their child is gone forever?

At first I would wake up every morning and forget that he’s gone. I would be thinking about what I had to do that day, what Finn and Burt and everyone else had going on. Then it would hit me--Finn’s gone. I’m never going to see my son again.

Now I just feel empty. There’s a hole in my heart where Finn used to be, and I can’t seem to fill it. It feels like there will always be this Finn-shaped hole in my heart that only he can fill.

The church is beautiful; flowers surround the alter and fill the front of the church. Family members, members of the community, some of Finn’s army and college friends, a few of his professors, the current and former members of New Directions, Mr. Schue. Even Rory, Sugar, Joe, Matt, and Lauren made it. Ms. Pillsbury and Coach Beiste, even Brad, Figgins, and Sue Sylvester. Everyone who knew and loved Finn; everyone whose lives he touched.

I feel like I’m watching from outside my body through a far away television screen. The last few days have been a blur. Getting the news, making calls, making arrangements. Food and flowers sent to the house every day, loved ones with hugs and sympathy and a shoulder to cry on. Rachel and Blaine coming over almost every day, helping us get our lives back together, comforting, offering support, looking for a sign that everything will be alright.

The New Directions alumni and current members came over this morning, all looking like lost puppies. Nobody knew how to act or what to say. Everyone wished this was some sort of sick joke.

I’m jolted out of my thoughts by the music. I grip Burt’s left hand tightly with my right, Kurt’s left hand firmly in his dad’s right. Everything is a fog as we make our way down the isle. I take my seat in the front, next to Burt. Kurt’s and my hands never leave Burt’s.

Rachel and Mercedes sit directly behind us, both trying and failing to keep from crying. New Directions sits together, the alumni and current members, in the same row as Rachel and Mercedes.

The girls of New Directions make their way to the altar. Tears roll down their cheeks, even Santana’s, though she hastily wipes them away. We chose to fill Finn’s funeral with song because that’s what he would have wanted. Music touches people in ways words alone can’t and expresses that which can never be expressed though words: joy, love, and sorrow. 

Rachel takes the first solo, singing with emotion laced in her voice. The other girls back her up, harmonizing perfectly.

_It started out as a feeling  
_ _Which then grew into a hope  
_ _Which then turned into a quiet thought  
_ _Which then turned into a quiet word  
_ _And then that word grew louder and louder  
_ _'Til it was a battle cry  
_ _I'll come back when you call me  
_ _No need to say goodbye_

Santana takes the next solo, furiously brushing away the tears falling from her eyes. The other girls sing behind her, creating a perfect harmony.

_Just because everything's changing  
_ _Doesn't mean it's never been this way before  
_ _All you can do is try to know who your friends are  
_ _As you head off to the war_

Brittany takes over for Santana. She’s not crying, but there is a look of deep, heart-wrenching sadness on her face.

_Pick a star on the dark horizon and follow the light  
_ _You'll come back when it's over  
_ _No need to say goodbye  
_ _You'll come back when it's over  
_ _No need to say goodbye_

Quinn takes over, singing with more emotion than I have ever heard from her. The other girls harmonize in the background, backing Quinn up perfectly.

_Now we're back to the beginning  
_ _It's just a feeling and no one knows yet  
_ _But just because they can't feel it too  
_ _Doesn't mean that you have to forget_

Tina takes the final solo, tears streaming down her face as she sings.

_Let your memories grow stronger and stronger  
_ _'Til they're before your eyes  
_ _You'll come back when they call you  
_ _No need to say goodbye_

The girls come together for the final lines, their voices blending together perfectly.

_You'll come back when they call you  
_ _No need to say goodbye_

Puck, Mike, Sam, Artie, Blaine, and Mr. Schuester make their way slowly down the isle as the girls sing, carrying the casket with Finn’s body. Tears roll down every face.

_Finn’s body._

The words hang in my head, becoming my every thought and feeling. Pain and grief are all I can feel, all I am aware of save the feeling of Burt’s hand in mine. Right in that moment, the music filling the church barely masking the sounds of crying, it hits me.

_My son is dead._

As the music ends, Blaine takes his seat on the end next to Kurt, who grips Blaine’s hand so tightly it’s turning white. I know Blaine couldn’t care less. Nothing matters right now except that Finn’s gone.

The others sit behind us, looking to each other for support and comfort.

The pastor comes up to the altar and does a reading: immortality, life after death, never forgetting, and resurrection. I find comfort in these words, though they cannot bring my son back. I like to think he’s up there watching over us, telling everyone to stop being sad and get on with life and giving us the strength to do so.

Rachel walks slowly up to the to the middle of the altar where microphones have been set up. Taking one of the microphones, Rachel starts to sing as the music begins.

_Hope seems lost, you're so scared  
_ _Not sure which way to go  
_ _Nothing makes sense  
_ _It's unfamiliar and you're feeling all alone_

_I'm closer than you think  
_ _I'm there when you're asleep  
_ _When you've falling down  
_ _Every second you're awake  
_ _Every moment, everyday  
_ _Call out to me now_

_Don't have to say a word, whichever way you turn  
_ _Don't have to worry, I'm watching over you  
_ _I'm never far away, don't have to be afraid  
_ _Look up I'll always be watching over you_

_I'm right here even when it seems I'm so far out of reach  
_ _Take my hands, I got you safely in my arms  
_ _Hold on to me_

_'Cause I'm closer than you think  
_ _I'm there when you're asleep  
_ _When you've falling down  
_ _Every second you're awake  
_ _Every moment, everyday  
_ _Just call out to me now_

_Don't have to say a word, whichever way you turn  
_ _Don't have to worry, I'm watching over you  
_ _I'm never far away, don't have to be afraid  
_ _Look up I'll always be watching over you_

_I'll protect you from the storms  
_ _When the wind and rain is falling all around you  
_ _Oh, I'm just a star away  
_ _Close your eyes and you will see,  
_ _That I've already found you_

_Don't have to say a word, whichever way you turn  
_ _Don't have to worry, I'm watching over you  
_ _I'm never far away, don't have to be afraid  
_ _Look up I'll always be watching over you_

_Don't have to say a word, whichever way you turn  
_ _Don't have to worry, I'm watching over you  
_ _I'm never far away, don't have to be afraid  
_ _Look up I'll always be watching over you_

Tears stream down every face as the song finishes. Grief wells in my heart, consuming me and blocking out all other emotions until my world is once again reduced to an endless haze of sadness.

Kurt walks up to the alter to deliver his speech. His voice is surprisingly strong, though tears stream down his face as he talks.

“Finn was something I never thought he’d be: he was my brother. Not biologically, I _chose_ to call him my brother. We dropped the ‘step’ a long time ago. Finn changed from someone who held my things while I was thrown in the dumpster to someone I could rely on. He wasn’t afraid to stand with the glee club, getting slushied and mocked right along with us. He stood up to a homophobic, ignorant student body and told them where he stood. I don’t think there was a truly mean bone in his body. He always tried to do what he thought was best, even if it didn’t turn out like he thought it would. He was a leader, both in glee and on the football field.”

“The week the glee club did theatricality, Finn came to school in a red shower curtain dress. Two football players were picking on me, and the entire glee club was standing in the hallway in KISS and Lady Gaga outfits, ready to take on two bullies for me. Finn was right in front, telling them not to mess with me. That’s when I knew we might have been a circus and dysfunctional at times, but we were a family.”

“Then the next year my dad married his mom, and we became step brothers. We had our disagreements over pretty much everything, but at the end of the day we were there for each other. He was always willing to talk and try to help, even if he didn’t know what to do to make the situation better. He drank warm milk with me and he didn’t care that I was more...feminine...than other guys. We were brothers, and that was all that mattered. Finn made the effort to get to know me instead of making assumptions about me and ignoring my existence. He put up with my obsessive show tune playing and the times I tried to reorganize his closet. I put up with his video games at all hours of the night, his dirty socks in the hallway, and his football games on TV. We were close because we both wanted it. We worked hard for the relationship we had, and I’m grateful for every day I got to spend with him.”

“I just never imagined him dying. I knew it was a possibility when he joined the army, but I didn’t want to think about it. I couldn’t lose another member of my family; our parents couldn’t lose their son.”

“I can’t believe I’ll never talk to him again. I don’t _want_ to believe it. I want to believe he’ll come back like always; I want to believe he’s just a phone call away. It feels like I was just starting to get to know who he truly was. We need to remember that Finn would have wanted us to keep moving and doing what we love. He would never want us to forget what music is all about: opening yourself up to what can’t be said in any other way. He wouldn’t want us to stop living our lives because of his death. Every time we can’t remember a dance step, every time we bump into something, every time we want to take the easy way out instead of doing what’s right, Finn will be there, telling us to take the risk, that doing the right thing will be worth it in the end.” Wiping the tears from his eyes, Kurt returns to his seat. Burt wraps his son in a hug, tears streaming down his own face.

The knives return to my heart and it’s all I can do to stop myself from screaming my pain out to the world. Anything to rid myself of the ache that won’t go away, the hole in my heart only one person can fill. 

The entire New Directions, past and present, gets up on the altar steps. Artie, Puck, and Sam take acoustic guitars and Brad sits at the piano. The drum set is left empty.

The music begins, and I instantly recognize the song--the one many have dubbed the New Directions theme song. One song I could never get tired of, no matter who many times I listened to it. It might not be what one would expect at a funeral, but for Finn’s it’s perfect.

Puck takes the first solo, singing with emotion and looking at the empty drum set.

_Just a small town girl  
_ _Living in a lonely world  
_ _She took the midnight train going anywhere_

Rachel takes the next verse, already crying but managing to sing perfectly.

_Just a city boy  
_ _Born and raised in South Detroit  
_ _He took the midnight train going anywhere_

Mike comes in for his solo, tears already streaming down his face.

_A singer in a smoky room_

Tina takes over for Mike, her face shining with tears.

_A smell of wine and cheap perfume_

Tina and Mike join together for the next verse, their voices blending together perfectly.

_For a smile they can share the night  
_ _It goes on and on and on and on_

Santana, Sam, and Ryder take the next lines.

_Strangers waiting  
_ _Up and down the boulevard  
_ _Their shadows  
_ _Searching in the night  
_ _Streetlight  
_ _People  
_ _Living just to find emotion  
_ _Hiding somewhere in the night_

Kurt takes his solo, his eyes filling up with tears as he sings.

_Workin' hard to get my fill  
_ _Everybody wants a thrill_

Blaine joins Kurt, emotion filling both their voices but not hindering their sound.

_Payin' anything to roll the dice  
_ _Just one more time_

Santana takes the next solo, her eyes full of grief.

_Some will win_

Puck joins Santana, both of their voices strong despite their tears.

_Some will lose  
_ _Some are born to sing the Blues_

Mercedes and Artie take the next verse and chorus.

_Oh, the movie never ends  
_ _It goes on and on and on and on_

_Strangers waiting  
_ _Up and down the boulevard  
_ _Their shadows  
_ _Searching in the night  
_ _Streetlight  
_ _People  
_ _Living just to find emotion  
_ _Hiding somewhere in the night_

Artie moves back as Mercedes takes her solo.

_Don't stop!_

Quinn and Sam come together with New Directions, their voices blending perfectly.

_Don't stop believin'_

Rachel and Rory take the next solos, the rest of New Directions coming in on the fourth line.

_Hold on to that feelin'  
_ _Streetlights  
_ _People (Yeah!)  
_

_Don't stop believin'_

Kitty and Jake take the next solo, their voices blending together despite their tears.

_Hold on to that feeling (Yeah!)_

Marley and Blaine’s voices blend together perfectly with the rest New Directions backing them up. Not one eye is dry.

_Streetlights  
_ _People_

Rachel, Unique, and Brittany take the final line, the rest of New Directions backing them up perfectly.

_Don't stop!_

The altar clears as one by one the members of New Directions go back to their seats. Mr. Schue gets up and walks to the podium, unfolding a piece of paper as he walks.

“Finn joined football to be popular, but he joined glee because he had a passion for music. Three years ago, I never would have guessed that the quarterback, the kid who used to pick on the glee kids, would become someone who was like a son to me. Finn once told me that, before he joined glee club, he didn’t have a father. He didn’t have someone to teach him how to be a man, he said. To Finn, I was that person, and I’m honored to have been.”

“Finn was the quarterback of glee club, too. He gave up on us once, but he came back and after that he never left. But that isn’t what I want to focus on. I want to focus on the happy memories, the things that made Finn who he was. Finn was more than my student; he was part of my family, just like all the glee kids. Finn always tried to put others before himself and to do what he thought was right. Sometimes he was misguided and acted before he thought, but he always tried to make things right. His heart was always in the right place.”

“I think one of my favorite Finn moments was the week of Grilled Cheesus. For those of you who don’t know, Finn was making a grilled cheese sandwich one day and when he went to eat it…he thought he saw Jesus’s face in the bread.” Mr. Schue manages a smile at the memory. “So anyway, he spent the whole week praying to this sandwich. He asked Grilled Cheesus if he would help the Titans win their first football game because it would mean a lot to Artie.”

“There were so many things that made Finn who he was. His unique way of looking at the world, his big heart, his clumsiness. He really cared about his friends and family, and he hated to see them fall. He always tried to bring everyone’s spirits up. One of the last things he said to New Directions was ‘We are not gonna eat, sleep, or breathe until you’ve blasted your way through Regionals and earned your rightful spot at Nationals.’ He wanted so much for New Directions to succeed because he cared about glee. He was so passionate about glee, about the music, about teaching. He would have made a wonderful teacher. I thought I’d be teaching alongside him for years to come, joking about the good old days when the New Directions was nothing more than a band of misfits.”

The knives return to my heart once agin, digging in and ripping my flesh apart. Kurt walks up to the altar to close out the service. He wipes his eyes as the music begins.

_It’s funny how  
_ _The walk of life  
_ _Can take you down  
_ _Without a fight_

_So many years  
_ _Can leave behind  
_ _Regretfully until it’s time  
_ _To realize the moment  
_ _When you turn around._

_I‘m coming home  
_ _To breathe again  
_ _To start again  
_ _I’m coming home  
_ _From all the places  
_ _I have been_

_With nothing  
_ _But a voice within  
_ _That calls me...  
_ _Calls me home_

_Back in the day  
_ _When I was younger  
_ _I was so lost and proud  
_ _I’ve gained the world  
_ _But it will never  
_ _Compare to what I've earned_

_In the quiet moment  
_ _When the earth holds still_

_I‘m coming home  
_ _To breathe again  
_ _To start again  
_ _I’m coming home  
_ _From all the places  
_ _I have been_

_With nothing  
_ _But a voice within  
_ _That calls me...  
_ _Calls me home  
_ _Calls me home_

_I’m coming home  
_ _To breathe again  
_ _To start again_

_I‘m coming home  
_ _To breathe again  
_ _To start again  
_ _I’m coming home  
_ _From all the places  
_ _I have been  
_

_With nothing  
_ _But a voice within  
_ _That calls me..._

Kurt’s song finishes, and for the first time since Finn died I feel the knot in my stomach loosen and the pain in my heart subside just a little bit. In that moment, I know that everything is going to be okay. Not today, not tomorrow, and maybe not next week, but it will be.

**_For Cory Monteith.  
_ ** **_Rest in peace._ **

_"Love is how you stay alive, even after you are gone."  
_ _-Cory Monteith_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The songs are:   
> “The Call” by Regina Spektor   
> “Watching Over You” by Keri Kimmel   
> “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey   
> “Calls Me Home” by Shannon LaBrie


End file.
